TORONTO, ON–(Oct 22, 2015) – World Education Services (WES) is celebrating 15 years serving skilled immigrants and international students in Canada. As immigration to Canada and international enrollment at Canadian colleges and universities has grown, there is an increased need to help individuals who studied outside of Canada gain recognition for their international education — to help reduce ‘brain waste’ and help them achieve their goals.
In 2000, WES Canada opened its doors in Toronto. It provided 1,200 credential assessments in its first year. In 2013, WES Canada was selected as one of five ‘designated agencies’ by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to provide educational credential assessments (ECA) for skilled immigrants participating in the Express Entry program. Today, WES provides more than 2,500 assessments weekly and will complete over 100,000 educational credential assessments this year. WES Canada also provides advice and resources to help newcomers and the communities that serve them face the challenges of understanding and fully valuing their international education.
“Before I came to Canada, I obtained my PhD in Epidemiology. On the job search, I was told that they would not consider me a proper candidate until my education credentials were assessed,” said Dr. Zhiyong Hong, who was one of WES Canada’s first clients. “I contacted the WES Toronto Office. It was a very simple procedure and within two weeks, I got my credential assessment report. Finally, I got a job as senior epidemiologist at Health Canada.”
Like Dr. Hong, the majority of skilled immigrants helped by WES Canada are highly educated. According to the recent WES report Considering Canada: A Look at the Views of Prospective Skilled Immigrants, 59 percent of WES Canada clients seeking credential assessments for immigration had obtained a bachelor’s degree and 42 percent had a master’s degree.
“We are proud to have served newcomers to Canada for the past 15 years and look forward to finding new ways to help skilled immigrants and international students thrive when they arrive in Canada,” said WES Canada Director, Tim Owen.
About WES
World Education Services, a non-profit organization, provides expert credential assessment services and research-based consulting on student mobility, international enrollment management, and transnational education. WES works with more than 2,500 institutions in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.wes.org/ca.
